GLOUCESTER, ON — Style Semalu heads into this Sunday’s $130,000 Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway with an impressive record of five wins in nine starts, but Dr. Lucien Paiement says it is more than her statistics that distinguish the talented two-year-old.

“When you win, and when it’s easy, you love her,” he acknowledges, “But she is a nice filly. She is very nice, very quiet, easy to drive, and easy to train. Everything is easy with her.”

Coming off a personal best 1:54.4 victory in last week’s elimination, Style Semalu and regular reinsman Gilles Dion will start from the trailing Post 9 on Sunday. The other elimination winner, Shake That Junk, and former Gold Final winner Maddam Luck will start from Posts 1 and 2, and Paiement is confident that Dion and Style Semalu will be able to carve out a good trip behind the two division leaders.

“We are a trailer, that is easier than the seven or eight,” reflects Paiement, who shares ownership on the filly with his partners in Semalu Inc. and Zoom And Fish Stable Inc. of Laval, QC. “The number one and number two fillies are two good fillies and we will be behind them.

“I think it’s a nice spot. We will try to follow them — and try to beat them,” he adds with a chuckle.

Pierre Touchette trains Style Semalu, who has two Gold Elimination wins, two Serie Quebec Plus Elite wins and one victory in an overnight event at Hippodrome de Montreal on her resume. A second generation product of the Semalu Inc. breeding program, the Million Dollar Cam daughter currently sits fourth in the division standings with 100 points, and Paiement would love to see her remain among the top ten point earners and compete in the Nov. 10 Super Final at Woodbine Racetrack.

“That will be a great night for us,” notes the horseman. “Our three-year-old colt Semalu Express, will race in the Super Final also.

“I am 75 years old and it is a long ride, but for $600,000 I think we will make the trip.”

Paiement also intends to make the trip from his Laval, QC home to Rideau Carleton on Sunday, as will Style Semalu. In spite of the distance, Paiement and Touchette prefer to keep the filly in her familiar surroundings and ship in for each Ontario Sires Stakes event.

“We think it is better to keep her at home with the same people and the same feed,” he explains. “I think she can relax more.”

The easy going youngster and her Gold Final peers will face off in the tenth race on Rideau Carleton Raceway’s Sunday, Oct. 7 program. The Ottawa oval sends its first race into the starter’s hands at 6:30 pm.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/eridcfsu.html#N10